Ontario, with a population of 14.6 million, is the first province in Canada to announce to new lockdown in the Covid-19 second wave. Ontario Premier Doug Ford told a press conference that the virus is spreading rapidly from areas with a high number of cases to areas with fewer cases, and the province needs to preserve capacity in its health care system. While the shutdown will begin a day after Christmas, Ford continued urging Ontarians not to gather for the holidays. As of Monday evening, Canada reported a total of 515,314 cases of the Covid-19 and 14,331 deaths. Ontario reported 2,123 new cases on Monday, bringing the provincial total to 158,053.

Source: Manila Times December 22, 2020 16:41 UTC